Sep 24, 2012

It's blogger's choice this week, so anything can happen! And happen it will.

Check out the list of participants here for all the dishes made this week.

Next week will be the wrap-up with a review from each blogger.

Silly me. Did I mention there are giveaways? Hippocrene has allowed for each and every participant in the Cookoff to give away one copy of
Muy Bueno Cookbook: Three Generations of Authentic Mexican Flavors by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, Veronica Gonzalez-Smith, and Evangelina Soza.

I'll have a giveaway here next week.

So with all that business taken care of, let's get down to some other business.

Last week I mentioned that my son doesn't like mushrooms. I failed to also point out that he doesn't care for scrambled eggs either. And I went and served mushroom salsa over scrambled eggs like the mean mom I am.

Vengeance. Eye for an eye. Get even. Paysie-backsies.

Ever since he saw beef tongue in a corner store The Boy's been begging (taunting) me to try it. Tongue is actually quite popular around here and is usually served on sandwiches.

But I've never had it. Nor have I even thought about wanting to have it. I've always said I don't want to taste anything that can taste me back.

Along comes The Boy, a strange mix of picky and adventurous eater, to seek his revenge for all the times I served mushrooms, scrambled eggs, French fries, mashed potatoes, grits, tomato pie.

Beef Tongue With Tomato (Lengua Entomada): The Husband handled the tongue because he knew if I worked with it, I wouldn't eat. And he knows if I don't eat, I get cranky. And if I get cranky everybody better look out. He's a smart guy.

He made this let the crockpot make this while I was at work. I came home to a house that did not smell like tongue--though I don't really know what tongue smells like since neither my nose or my tongue reaches that far. (Did you just stick out your tongue to see if it reached your nose?)

My house smelled like pot roast.

The tongue was much, much more tender than I imagined--almost like eating veal. But let's pretend I didn't just say that since eating veal seems villianous. It tasted like a rich, slow cooked pot roast. And everything was fine until The Boy started jumping around yelling, "This tongue is awesome! Awesome! I'm eating tongue and it's delicious! Tongue! Tongue! Look some bumps. Taste buds? I love tongue!" Then I got a little bit skeeved out.

But. But, people. The leftovers were very good. So good I didn't get skeevy once. Sitting in the fridge, lapping up all the tomato, onion, and garlic, the tongue was even better leftover.

I had to serve something besides tongue, right? These Jalapenoes with Soy Sauce caught my eye since they are easy, have very few ingredients, and used ingredients I already had.

A friend gave me a huge bag of miscellaneous peppers, so I used them.

Jalapenos With Soy Sauce (Jalapenos Toredos): A mix of jalapenos, banana peppers, and whatevers were used. This recipe was super easy and produced an unusual and unexpected side dish. The buttery soy sauce was salty and velvety and just plain good. The only issue I had was that the peppers are cooked with the sauce in foil. What drew me to the recipe in the first place was the picture in the Muy Beuno Cookbook...the char-like marks on the peppers made them look so good. But, really, they are steamed in the foil and don't develop the browning that the picture shows. After the peppers cooked through, I popped them under the broiler to get a bit of a tan. That did the trick. I tripled the recipe and was glad I did.

Prepare the tongue:
Place beef tongue, water, onion, garlic, and sea salt in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Once it's tender, take the tongue out of the stock to cool off. Peel off the outer layer of skin when you are able to handle the tongue. It's easier to take the skin off while the tongue is warm. Dice tongue into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.

Strain the stock and set aside. It's always better to refrigerate the stock so you can skim the fat off and discard. If you have a fat separator then you don't have to refrigerate.

Make Sauce:
Puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes and let come to a boil as you stir.

Add diced tongue, 1/2 cup reserved stock, black pepper, and garlic powder. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. If it is too dry, you can add more stock, however, this recipe should not be runny if using for filling gorditas.

If using for gorditas, fill each gorditas with about 1-2 tablespoons of the prepared tongue and garnish with cilantro

* We made soft tacos, topping them with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and cheese.

Place jalapeno peppers on a piece of foil and drizzle with soy sauce and butter. Wrap tightly and place packet on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
*I placed the opened packet under the broiler to brown the peppers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*This post is part of the Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off sponsored by Hippocreneand hosted at girlichef**I was provided with a free copy of the cookbook. Opinions, images, and bad puns are all my own.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh my.....major credit to you for eating the tongue!!!! It certainly looks delicious, but I'm like you. I'd never eat it if I had to cook it myself. In fact, someone would have to make that taco for me and cover it up with all kinds if toppings before I'd take a bite. I would try it that way though. I've always heard great things about it.

Your homemade tortillas look awesome! I've tried them several times and mine never turn out.

I am so glad that you made the tongue. When I was growing up in south Texas my boyfriend's Czech mom frequently made tongue and I could never bring myself to try it and now wish I had. I would gladly give it a try now. It looks great!

My grandmother used to cook tongue, but I never wanted to try it! She would actually get me to eat liver when I was a little girl, but I won't eat it today! If you would of never told me you used beef tongue, I would of never known! Beautiful presentation :)

Mmmm...those tacos look fantastic! Lengua is one of my hubby's favorite things. I like it, too...and yes, so tender! Kudos to you for trying it for the first time, and I loooove that the boy enjoyed it so much!

p.s...I've always peeled my tongue before eating it, so NO tastebuds...did you leave the "skin" on???

My grandmother used to cook beef tongue but I haven't had it in years. I remember that we all liked it and didn't think a thing about it being something we should be suspicious of. The tacos look soooo good.!

You were so brave to do this recipe and it turned out so beautiful and full of flavor. Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.Come Back Soon!Miz Helen

Aren't children just "wonderful"..LOL. Silly me, I let my daughter choose also....and guess what she chose? TONGUE! HAHA (made it last night). and yes, I loved it too. As long as I didn't think about it too much.

I have never used beef tongue before!!! I got a good giggle that your son chose tongue!!!Your recipe sounds fabulous... in spite of the tongue! Please stop by StoneGable and join ON THE MENU MONDAY... link goes live at 8:00 pm! Your recipe would be a welcomed addition!

Your peppers look beautiful - what a lovely harvest from your friend! This recipe sounds so interesting. I have to confess I have never had tongue before either - it's very brave of your son to try it - and of you too of course! I must say, your homemade tortillas look scrumptious!